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Rural hospital grows through DRA investments

January 01, 2014

Ten years ago, Magee General Hospital (MGH) was a small facility that offered few services to residents in south central Mississippi, forcing some to drive as far as Jackson to seek additional care at larger hospitals.

Today, with support from the Delta Regional Authority to enhance its facilities, Magee General Hospital has become a medical hotspot for the surrounding rural areas, expanding from a transitional facility to a hospital that offers primary care to patients.

Through four separate investments over the past ten years, DRA funding has been used to improve numerous parts of the hospital, beginning in 2006 with $196,280 for the addition of a radiology, labor, and delivery unit. The next year, a DRA investment was used for the purchase of updated surgery and laboratory equipment, creating six new jobs at the facility. In 2008, four more jobs were created through a $161,822 investment in upgrades to the hospital’s emergency room. This year, $76,856 was invested in pharmacy improvements at the hospital, allowing for the purchase and installation of new technology and advanced equipment.

"With the help of Delta Regional Authority grants, Magee General has been able to purchase state-of-the-art clinical equipment that may otherwise be unattainable to a small rural hospital, especially in today's economic climate," said Dawn May, Director of Guest Services at MGH.

This series of expansions is based on a long-term plan by Magee General to provide the best care possible for its surrounding communities. “This is a community hospital that has been able to expand to provide services that were not previously provided for the area,” said Gray Ouzts of the Central Mississippi Planning and Development District. “They have really built upon the pieces of the puzzle provided from DRA for a major expansion.”

Through this expansion, the hospital is able to offer additional services – medical offices are now attached to the hospital, so physicians can be brought in for specialty services that were previously unavailable at the facility. Additional lab space and equipment also allows patients to have medical tests completed on-site.